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THE CYANOBACTERIAL SAXITOXIN EXACERBATES NEURAL CELL DEATH AND BRAIN MALFORMATIONS INDUCED BY ZIKA VIRUS
Morte de células neurais
Malformações cerebrais
Vírus da Zika
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Abstract
The northeast (NE) region of Brazil commonly goes through drought periods, which favor
cyanobacterial blooms, capable of producing neurotoxins with implications for human and
animal health. The most severe dry spell in the history of Brazil occurred between 2012 and
2016. Coincidently, the highest incidence of microcephaly associated with the Zika virus
(ZIKV) outbreak took place in the NE region of Brazil during the same years. In this work, we
tested the hypothesis that saxitoxin (STX), a neurotoxin produced in South America by the
freshwater cyanobacteria Raphidiopsis raciborskii, could have contributed to the most
severe Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS) profile described worldwide. Quality surveillance
showed higher cyanobacteria amounts and STX occurrence in human drinking water supplies
of NE compared to other regions of Brazil. Experimentally, we described that STX doubled
the quantity of ZIKV-induced neural cell death in progenitor areas of human brain
organoids, while the chronic ingestion of water contaminated with STX before and during
gestation caused brain abnormalities in offspring of ZIKV-infected immunocompetent
C57BL/6J mice. Our data indicate that saxitoxin-producing cyanobacteria is overspread in
water reservoirs of the NE and might have acted as a co-insult to ZIKV infection in Brazil.
These results raise a public health concern regarding the consequences of arbovirus outbreaks
happening in areas with droughts and/or frequent freshwater cyanobacterial blooms.
Keywords in Portuguese
Saxitoxina cianobacterianaMorte de células neurais
Malformações cerebrais
Vírus da Zika
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